SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
The following report originally published 20 years ago this week here at PWTorch.com…
WWE FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN
FEBRUARY 17, 2006
TAPED TUESDAY IN NORFOLK, VA.
BY WADE KELLER, PWTORCH EDITOR
-Michael Cole and Tazz introduced the show “from the sold out Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, Va.” They hyped the main event of Kurt Angle & Undertaker vs. MNM & Mark Henry.
-A recap aired of the Rey Mysterio-Randy Orton situation.
1 — REY MYSTERIO vs. SYLVAN
Sylvan asked if he wears a mask because he’s not attractive. “Everybody knows I am the next greatest superstar in WWE,” Sylvan said. “Come on, look at the way I walk. Hear at the way I talk [si].” Mysterio hit Sylvan with a surprise dropkick and then dove onto him at ringside. Tazz said Rey isn’t in the mood for cheap talk. Tazz said Orton suffered a concussion last week from Rey’s kick. Rey eventually won with his finishing sequence.
WINNER: Rey at 5:00.
STAR RATING: * — Okay TV match.
-After the match, Randy Orton walked out. He said Rey is lucky he has a concussion or he’d beat him up tonight. He said despite what he said about Eddie Guerrero, at least Eddie main evented WrestleMania and that can never be taken away from him. He said Rey is not in Eddie’s league.
[Commercial Break]
-Kurt Angle approached Rey backstage and told him not to let anyone tell him what he can achieve. He said it would be an honor to face him at WrestleMania. Mark Henry interrupted and told Angle to worry about surviving the night. “Tonight I am taking you out and I’m taking the Undertaker out.” Out for dinner? Out for a drink? Out of commission? Out of the picture? Why doesn’t anyone finish that sentence anymore?
-Orlando Jordan stood in the ring and said he should be facing Booker T for the U.S. Title at No Way Out instead of Chris Benoit. “I mean, after all, I am the greatest athlete in Smackdown history,” he said. When he said there isn’t anyone whom he can’t beat, Boogeyman came out. Orlando ran out of the ring. Tazz and Cole said Boogeyman eats roaches, maggots, worms, and moles off of people’s faces. When Boogeyman entered the ring, Jordan returned and attacked him from behind. Boogeyman won quickly, then ate worms and let them crawl all over Jordan afterward. Tazz and Cole do a good job talking up how gross and bizarre Boogeyman is.
WINNER: Boogeyman at 0:42 with a powerslam.
STAR RATING: 1/4*
[Commercial Break]
-Gregory Helms walked up to other cruiserrweights backstage including Nunzio, Paul London, Brian Kendrick, Nunzio, and Psicosis, called them “boys,” and told them to watch and learn.
2 — GREGORY HELMS vs. SCOTTY 2 HOTTY – Cruiserweight Title match
Cole said Kid Kash was scheduled for the title shot, but he was dealing with a family emergency, so Scotty moved into the slot. Tazz said Helms’s backstage attitude is going to get him into trouble. Tazz referred to Scotty as “very capable.” Never in wrestling history has a wrestler ever won a match when an announcer referred to him as “very capable.” It’s the lowest form of compliment in pro wrestling. Scotty signalled for The Worm at 4:00, but he paused for so long, Helms recovered and nailed him with a forearm. Helms then hit the Shining Wizard for the win. After the match, Helms said he hoped the cruiserweights were watching in the back because he can do that to any of them anytime he wants. When Helms jumped on Scotty after the match, the other cruiserweights attacked him. He had to be helped from the ring.
WINNER: Helms at 4:35 to retain the title.
STAR RATING: *1/4 — Short, but solid action.
-A video feature aired on Undertaker to promote his title shot at the PPV on Sunday.
[Commercial Break]
-They replayed the beating Helms took, then showed him being tended to backstage. Teddy Long walked up to Helms, who was having ice applied to his back. Long said he didn’t approve of the beating he took, but he would give him a chance to defend his title against every one of those contenders so he could get revenge and prove he could beat any of them.
-Paul Birchill was being interviewed backstage when Ken Kennedy interrupted. Kennedy said he had him convinced last week he thinks he is a pirate. Kennedy said William Regal clued him in that he is related to people who were related to a black beard pirate. Kennedy asked him to look at himself. “Do you actually think this s going to work? Those people are going to laugh at you and think you’re a joke.” Birchill pulled out a sword and held it up to Kennedy’s neck. Kennedy nervously said, “On second thought, I think it might work. It’s going to be hot. We need a pirate in this business. It’s going to be over, dude.” Birchill smiled and let Kennedy walk away. Tazz said he could have saved Kennedy the time because he knows Birchill is for real. I actually kind of like what they’re doing with this, which is trying to cut off cynicism that Birchill is pretending to be a pirate as a typical WWE gimmick and instead convince people that Birchill actually believes it, and he’s convincing people like Kennedy and Tazz that it’s more than a “lame cartoon gimmick.”
[Commercial Break]
-A video aired on Kurt Angle to promote his title defense on Sunday on PPV.
-Booker T and Sharmell joined Tazz and Cole at ringside for the next match. Booker complained of a conspiracy against him, then laughed about what Finlay did to the juniors last week.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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3 — FINLAY & JBL vs. CHRIS BENOIT & BOBBY LASHLEY
Booker complained that he could be in a wheelchair and Benoit would still want to wrestle him. Cole told Booker he doesn’t have to wrestle Sunday, he can relinquish the title instead. Booker said his lawyers are working on it. Sharmell told Cole, “You’d scream like a girl if you had an ingrown toenail.” Cole replied: “No, that’s the guy on Raw.” Finlay and Benoit began against each other. Finlay bashed Benoit’s hand against the ringside steps. Finlay tagged JBL into the ring. Benoit said his groin still aches when he coughs. Sharmell told Cole he needs to respect Booker when he coughs. Hilarious. Benoit hot-tagged Lashley at 5:15. He went to work on JBL including a quick belly-to-belly. JBL thumbed Lashley in the eye to take over control, then tagged Finlay back in. Lashley clotheslined Finlay in the corner. The heels double-teamed Lashley at ringside, including Finlay striking him with a golden scepter.
[Commercial Break]
The heels controlled Benoit for several minutes. Eventually Benoit came back with three german suplexes. He gave one to Finlay when he attempted to interfere. JBL knocked Lashley off the apron, but Benoit then surprised JBL with a Crossface. Finlay broke it up. Benoit whipped Finlay into the ringside steps. Booker then got up, grabbed a chair, and hit Benoit from behind with it. JBL then gave Benoit a Clothesline from Hell.
WINNER: Finlay & JBL at 14:55.
STAR RATING: **1/2 — Pretty good tag match. Fun commentary from Booker and Sharmell.
[Commercial Break]
-The Bret Hart Hall of Fame announcement aired. Cole said he couldn’t wait for the ceremony the night before WrestleMania.
-Simon Dean stood center ring with Gymini and said the fans disgust him for their eating habits. He asked them to plop down some money to buy his patented Simon System. Matt Hardy’s intro music interrupted his pitch.
4 — MATT HARDY vs. SIMON DEAN (w/Gymini)
“Boy, that Simon System must really work when you look at those guys,” said Cole. Good point! The ref ordered Gymini to the back after their interfered i the match. Simon protested. Hardy came back from some Simon matholds and hit a flying elbow drop. Hardy then gave Simon his Twist of Fate for the win.
WINNER: Hardy at 3:13.
STAR RATING: 1/2* – Basic virtual squash, but fine.
-Another video feature aired on Kurt Angle.
[Commercial Break]
-The Raw Rebound aired.
-Matt Hardy approached Melina and said he’s been considering her offer. She thought he meant the “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” offer. He said he meant her open challenge to anyone for the tag belts. He said he’d find himself a partner at No Way Out. If WWE wanted to add a spark to WrestleMania, they could hire Jeff Hardy to make his return to the ring teaming with Matt in a tag title match against MNM there. If that’s where they’d headed, and there’s an “injury angle” planned with Animal forcing Matt to bring in his brother, then the entire Matt & Animal teaming might be worthwhile.
-Tazz and Cole previewed the entire announced No Way Out line-up.
-The ring introductions took place for MNM and Mark Henry.
[Commercial Break]
5 — KURT ANGLE & UNDERTAKER vs. MNM (w/Melina) & MARK HENRY (w/Daivari)
Tazz said the three-on-two odds will be a big disadvantage to Angle and Taker along with the lack of trust between the two. Taker and Mercury began the match. Taker stood right in front of Angle to signal he wanted to start the match, which Tazz said was a sign of dominance and disrespect by Taker. Henry tagged in a minute into the match. Angle and Taker threw Mercury and Nitro over the top rope to the floor, then Henry threw both of them to the floor as they cut to a break.
[Commercial Break]
After the heels worked over Angle for a few minutes, Taker got the hot tag. He gave Mercury and Nitro clotheslines in opposite corners, then set them up for a double chokeslam. Henry hit Taker from behind to break it up. Henry took over on Taker for a minute. Taker hot-tagged Angle, so Henry tagged out. Angle worked over MNM. Taker gave Henry a big boot to fend off his interference. Angle then made Nitro tapout to an Anklelock. After the match, Angle gloated about getting the win for his team. Taker did his throat-slash gesture. Undertaker gave Henry a Tombstone. Angle looked on in amazement. Tazz and Cole did a good job hyping what a display of strength that was. Angle and Taker ended with a staredown. “It is perhaps the greatest main event in Smackdown history,” shouted Cole. “There will be no way out for one of these two men.”
WINNERS: Angle & Taker at 15:40.
STAR RATING: **1/4 – They did a good job masking Henry’s weaknesses. Good TV main event tag match.
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